What’s At StakeWriting the Rules To Support American Jobs

Watch the President's Weekly Address on TPP

The President's Remarks on Trade

TPP's Impact on the American People and Workers

America’s trade policy may seem remote and technical, but it has a significant impact on the strength of our economy and the lives of millions of Americans. If the businesses you buy from everyday also sell their products to customers abroad, they are more likely to expand and support jobs here at home.

Why is that? Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside our borders. Our Made-in-America products and services are in demand, making American exports a vital pillar of our 21st century economy. In fact, exports played an indispensable role in America’s resurgence from the Great Recession.So, when the rules are fair, Americans can out-compete anyone in the world.

Last year, we broke the record in American exports for the fifth year in a row, selling $2.34 trillion in goods and services abroad. And here’s why that’s important: The more we sell abroad, the more higher-paying jobs we support here at home.

And those jobs tend to pay Americans better, meaning companies that export pay up to 18% more than companies that don’t.

But right now, our current trade policy — the status quo — puts our workers and businesses at a disadvantage, with higher costs for American goods, more barriers to trade, and lower standards for workers and the environment abroad than we have at home.

That is why President Obama has concluded negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership and will now work with Congress to secure its passage into law. The TPP is a trade agreement with 11 other countries in the Asia-Pacific, including Canada and Mexico that will eliminate over 18,000 taxes various countries put on Made-in-America products.

With the TPP, we can rewrite the rules of trade to benefit America’s middle class. Because if we don’t, competitors who don’t share our values, like China, will step in to fill that void.

That is why the President’s trade policy is the best tool we have to ensure that our workers, our businesses, and our values are shaping globalization and the 21st century economy, rather than getting left behind.

What’s in the DealWriting the Rules To Support American Jobs

The President knows that past trade deals haven’t always lived up to the hype. That is why he fought for the high standards embodied in this trade agreement that will upgrade our existing agreements to reflect our American values.

Under the TPP, tough, fully-enforceable standards will protect workers’ rights and the environment for the first time in history. Here’s what that means:

On Workers’ Rights:

A ban on child and forced labor

A minimum wage

A ban on workplace discrimination

The right to form a union and bargain collectively

Workplace safety standards

Trade sanctions for violating labor rights

On the Environment:

Combat illegal wildlife trafficking

Protect against overfishing

Protect our oceans

Combat illegal logging

Trade sanctions for violating environmental protections

On Other Progressive Priorities:

Protect a free and open Internet

Protect consumers from fraud and deception

Require comprehensive anti-corruption and transparency measures

Help simplify export rules for small businesses

in-between

What People Are SayingHere’s Who Supports the TPP and Why

The TPP will have a profound impact on how we help small businesses expand, how we support online entrepreneurs who are just getting off the ground, how we promote gender equality for women, how we invest in the developing world, how we protect our most endangered species, and how we make great progress in the fight for human rights.

Check out these stories to see how America’s trade policy is an important lever in bringing about real progress for our economy, our workers, and our values.

Statement by the President on TPP

The White House

The President on Securing the Trans-Pacific Partnership

This partnership levels the playing field for our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers by eliminating more than 18,000 taxes that various countries put on our products. It includes the strongest commitments on labor and the environment of any trade agreement in history, and those commitments are enforceable, unlike in past agreements. It promotes a free and open Internet. It strengthens our strategic relationships with our partners and allies in a region that will be vital to the 21st century. It’s an agreement that puts American workers first and will help middle-class families get ahead.